Gazprom Considers Doubling Capacity of Northern European Pipeline

Gazprom is looking at the possibility of doubling the capacity of the Northern European gas pipeline, according to Gazprom President Alexey Miller. Miller told journalists on Friday that at the present time there are no problems with financing the project. The main question is marketing the project in those countries where fuel will be delivered through the pipeline.

In part, Miller said that marketing research is being conducted in Great Britain, where an extremely small amount of gas is delivered from Russia. Miller also said that at the current time Gazprom is conducting negotiations with Great Britain to expand delivery and, if the negotiations conclude successfully, pipeline capacity could be doubled.

The project for building the pipeline provides for the laying of pipes at the floor of the Baltic Sea in Europe and also building sea pipeline bends for the delivery of gas to Kaliningrad Region, Finland, Sweden and Denmark. The project also provides for the delivery of gas to Great Britain. The pipeline would allow for the direct connection of Russian and European transportation systems into one gas network.

The raw material base for the pipeline in the first stages will come from the Nadim-Pur-Tazovsky region, then Yamala, Obsko-Tazovsky inlet and Shtokmanovsky oil field. The pipeline should begin transporting natural gas in 2007, and be running at full capacity by 2009.

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